Chapter 1014: Chapter 1014: Point Lottery

Chapter 1014: Point Lottery

"Objective Mission: The Transformation of a Team’s Winning Mentality" was, without a doubt, the most generous mission reward Lu Ke had received in three years. As long as he kept winning, the rewards would accumulate like a snowball. Although the mission was limited to the regular season, the cumulative effect was incredible.

The mission reward mechanism started with four consecutive wins, adding one base point. A five-game winning streak added three base points, and a six-game streak added six, following the formula of (N = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4...). With this progression, an undefeated 16-game season would add a whopping 91 base points.

91 points.

This was almost like a nuclear weapon. But considering that in the entire long history of the league, only the 2007 New England Patriots had ever accomplished this feat, such a reward for the objective mission was not surprising. It was the ultimate lottery jackpot. The 91 base points truly reflected the team’s complete transformation and their completely different competitive spirit.

The so-called "winning mentality" is revealed during close games, in tight moments, when the outcome is on the line. It’s the difference between being a little tougher or a little more hesitant, a defensive stand or a bold gamble. These small differences can have an incalculable impact on the final result, and it’s in these moments that a team’s true character is revealed.

No one had expected the San Francisco 49ers to have an undefeated season.

Even Lu Ke himself hadn’t anticipated it. He had gritted his teeth and fought through one game after another, putting the objective mission completely out of his mind and focusing only on the present. By doing so, he had accomplished the impossible. He made no mistakes in the games he was supposed to win, and he held on until the end in the close ones. As a result, 16 victories were achieved.

At the end of the 2012 season, Lu Ke’s haul was truly spectacular:

115 base points, three special points, and one golden point.

Without a doubt, this was the most abundant reward Lu Ke had received since getting the system. Even compared to his rewards at the end of the 2011 season, this was several times more, which was incredible. But this is the essence of competitive sports: you get out what you put in. The joy of a bountiful harvest is the best reward for an entire season of hard work.

Now it was time to arm himself and turn those rewards into real stats!

First, for the hidden mission reward, he had to choose one of two options: "ten special points for any hidden attribute."

This season, Lu Ke had converted all his special points into base points to quickly improve his overall skills. The values of his hidden attributes had barely changed. But now, with the mission’s strict requirement, he could only use the points to improve a hidden attribute. So, his eyes fell on the hidden attributes for the first time in a while.

Luck, Charisma, Prediction, Aura, and Condition.

"Prediction" had already reached the max of 99 points, and "Condition" was a stat that could not be changed or accumulated. That left him with three options: Luck, Charisma, and and Aura.

After some thought, Lu Ke chose Aura. Charisma was more focused on Lu Ke’s self-protection, while Aura was more about his influence on the entire offense. Football is a team sport, and Lu Ke’s skills were now good enough to protect himself, so he needed to improve his leadership to boost the whole team.

His Aura, which was 65 points, was now 75 points after adding ten points.

Next, it was time to add the base points. Continuing his style from this season, he converted all his special points into base points, giving him a total of 124 base points.

Lu Ke wasn’t in a rush to add the points. Although he had a "fortune" now and could spend it lavishly, that wasn’t his style. All of his points had to be used to prepare for the playoffs. He needed to make a balanced adjustment between his weaknesses and strengths. Otherwise, even a three-digit number could be gone in the blink of an eye.

After a lot of thought, Lu Ke began the massive task of adding points.

First, for the body recovery category, he spent a total of 22 points.

Stamina, after a full season of daily training, had automatically increased from 82 to 84 points. Now, he added 11 points, bringing it from 84 to 95 points.

Recovery Speed, a part of his natural physical gifts, was not one of his strengths. The value had never changed. He also added 11 points, bringing it from 84 to 95 points.

Second, for the quarterback skills category, he spent a total of 82 points.

Throwing Power: Added 8 points, bringing it from 91 to 99 points.

Throwing on the Run: Added 4 points, bringing it from 95 to 99 points.

Ball Security: Added 10 points, bringing it from 70 to 80 points.

Running with the Ball: Added 10 points, bringing it from 85 to 95 points.

Left-side Awareness: Added 17 points, bringing it from 53 to 70 points.

Right-side Awareness: Added 9 points, bringing it from 66 to 75 points.

Evasion: Added 7 points, bringing it from 63 to 70 points.

Stiff-arming: Added 4 points, bringing it from 71 to 75 points.

Breaking Tackles: Added 8 points, bringing it from 57 to 65 points.

Juking: Added 5 points, bringing it from 60 to 65 points.

As a pocket quarterback, Lu Ke’s passing skills had improved at a high speed. But even so, he still had many weaknesses, such as his left- and right-side awareness, ball security, and pocket mobility.

As the season progressed and his style developed, Lu Ke was growing rapidly, but he was still not considered a running quarterback.

When outside of the pocket, his skills in evasion, stiff-arming, breaking tackles, and juking were still noticeably behind those of true running quarterbacks like Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, and Russell Wilson. More importantly, from a tactical standpoint, Lu Ke was still a pocket quarterback. He was still more comfortable staying in the pocket to pass, and running with the ball was only an option when he had no other choice.

But it was undeniable that his running skills had also made a huge leap.

Even if Lu Ke chose to stay in the pocket, the improvements in his awareness on both sides and his ability to throw on the run meant he would have more space and opportunities to connect with his receivers. This was a crucial improvement.

Third, for the physical attributes category, he spent a total of 20 points.

Willpower: Increased naturally by 1 point, from 95 to 96 points. He added 3 more points, bringing it to 99 points.

Strength: Increased naturally by 1 point, from 90 to 91 points. He added 4 more points, bringing it to 95 points.

Explosiveness: Added 5 points, bringing it from 90 to 95 points.

Agility: Added 5 points, bringing it from 80 to 85 points.

Speed: Added 3 points, bringing it from 80 to 83 points.

Acceleration: Increased naturally by 1 point, from 80 to 81 points.

Jumping: Increased naturally by 1 point, from 70 to 71 points.

In fact, Lu Ke’s physical attributes were already considered top-tier for a passing quarterback. Based on his natural gifts and unique qualities, he had made great strides and had gradually developed his own playing style. He may not be the strongest or fastest, but this was the physical build that was best suited for him.

The further improvements now had little direct impact on his game or technique. Instead, they were more for improving his stamina and his ability to execute the smaller details of the game. These improvements couldn’t be seen in the statistics or by the eyes of an analyst. Only those on the field, fighting against him, could feel them. But they were crucial additions and improvements.

This season, the San Francisco 49ers achieved an undefeated record in 16 regular-season games, making them public enemy number one. Any team they faced was going to be more energized and more motivated to play them, as they would be the ones to break the undefeated streak. No one would want to miss that opportunity.

Just look at the three teams that have won 15 or more games since the millennium. When they played in the next regular season, they all faced strong opposition to varying degrees, and their teams showed a noticeable decline in performance.

On one hand, a great season means a tougher schedule the next season, and their opponents will be stronger. On the other hand, every team will be watching these "championship favorites" closely, doing everything they can to defeat them. Additionally, their game footage will be studied over and over, leaving no secrets about their strategies and strengths, which will make their games much harder.

In a fierce battle like this, the small details of the game become even more important. The small, unnoticeable details can often be the key to changing the course of a game. This was evident in the 49ers’ important games this season, such as against the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots.

The subtle changes to his physical attributes stood out for Lu Ke.

In fact, not to mention next year’s schedule, the 49ers would be a thorn in the side of every team in the upcoming playoffs.

Fortunately, before facing these opponents, Lu Ke still had one golden point he hadn’t used yet.

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